Man allegedly tried to bribe police with fanny pack contentsJason L. McKibbin, 24, was arrested at approximately 1:57 p.m. on Thursday after an officer pulled him over for not wearing a seat belt. McKibbin appeared in felony bond hearings with District Judge Don Bourne on Friday where his bond was set at $20,000 after Bourne found probable cause to hold him on charges of possession with purpose to deliver. The officer initiated a traffic stop near PDQ on South Arkansas Avenue but the driver, later iden...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Firefighter dies following wreck on Highway 60PLAINVIEW -- Tragedy struck this community in Yell County on Thursday afternoon when a Plainview volunteer firefighter lost his life during the department's weekly meeting. According to a report from the Arkansas State Police (ASP), Lancy Crawford, 50, was driving a 1996 Ford tanker truck East on State Highway 60 shortly after 5 p.m. The report stated the truck was negotiating a curve when it left the road, overcorrected and re-entered the roa...

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BY SEAN INGRAM
sean@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Consumer alert: Spot skimmers, keep your cashAssociated Press LITTLE ROCK -- Scammers are adapting as technology continues to advance. While card reader fraud has been around for a number of years, these con artists are finding new ways to steal your money, like placing a skimmer on a credit and debit card reader. A skimmer is a malicious card reader that goes over the existing card reader and is designed to steal data off the card's magnetic stripe. These readers are small and can be in...

Miss Arkansas 2016 preliminaries announcedHOT SPRINGS -- Miss University of Central Arkansas, Ashton Purtle, won the Preliminary Artistic Expression in Talent Award Wednesday evening at the opening night of the 79th Annual Miss Arkansas Pageant at Bank of the Ozarks Arena in Hot Springs. For winning Talent, Purtle received a $1,400 scholarship donated by Scott Heffington and Ricky Medlock. Purtle is the 20-year old daughter of Steve and Michele Purtle of Russellville. She is a junior ...

Quorum Court meets new HR directorThe Pope County Quorum Court approved ordinances that allowed Circuit Clerk Diane Willcutt, Sheriff Shane Jones and 5th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney David Gibbons to fill vacancies in their offices during Thursday's third and final meeting. Justices of the Peace were also introduced to Donna Ashley, the new human resources director. She will begin her new position for Pope County in the first couple of weeks of August. Chief Deputy B...

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BY SEAN INGRAM
sean@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Woman begs for release from jailNikki R. Jackson, 31, told District Judge Don Bourne she had never been convicted of a felony during felony bond hearings on Wednesday at the Pope County Detention Center. "And I won't be convicted of this one either," she said. Jackson, who became agitated during her hearing and slammed her open palm on the table several times while yelling obscenities, was arrested at approximately 6:03 p.m. on Tuesday after police received a call that a wom...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Man allegedly chokes womanJoshua L. Jackson, 31, shook his head in disbelief as District Judge Don Bourne told him why he was being charged with third-degree domestic battery. "They made a law sometime back that if you choke someone, you go to jail," Bourne said during felony bond hearings on Wednesday inside the Pope County Detention Center. "Yeah, but they bashed on my face. Did anyone else get charged? I never hit no one," Jackson said. "Is there anything I can do a...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Robots in the ParkThe Pope County Library Bookmobile stopped at Russellville City Park on Thursday for part one of Robots in the Park. Kristin Peterson and Melanie Goad read “Recycled Robots” by Robert Malone and “Robot Zot” by John Scieszka to approximately 30 audience members. The same books will be read during storytime at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Pope County Library in Russellville. Part two of Robots in the Park will begin at 10:30 a.m. July 21, at the Russ...

Junior Auxilary wraps up summer programsJunior Auxiliary of Russellville recently provided more than 220 volunteer hours for the Summer Reading Program and the Summer Arts Camp. At the Pope County Library, members checked the children in, recorded the number of books read and handed out rewards each week. Junior Auxiliary also partnered with the River Valley Arts Center for the summer art camp. Members assisted the art instructor with projects for the kids, as well as helping superv...

Kizer arrested after 'failing to meet conditions'Alleged drug dealer Melissa D. Kizer, 37, is in jail again after posting a $300,000 bond set in felony bond hearings on June 29 for possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver. Kizer, who used a bondsman to make bail, was arrested again on Friday for violation of pretrial release on a separate possession with purpose to deliver charge last December. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Steve Higgins explained that when an individual is...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Lake Dardanelle park to host cleanup dayIt's that time of year again. Volunteers will gather together to help clean Lake Dardanelle for the sixth year in a row as part of the Arkansas River Cleanup in conjunction with American Rivers' National River Cleanup on July 9 at Lake Dardanelle State Park. The event will begin with registration at 8 a.m. at the park's visitor center. The cleanup will end at 10:30 a.m. In celebration of Picnic in the Park, volunteers are invited to enjoy a fr...

Quorum Court to consider vacanciesThe Pope County Quorum Court will consider filling a vacancy in the District Court clerk's position and a part-time vacancy in the Prosecuting Attorney's office during its monthly meeting today. The Personnel Committee will meet at 4:45 p.m., then the Budget Committee will convene at 5. The full court will meet following the conclusion of the Budget Committee. Justices of the Peace on the Personnel Committee include Mary-Metz Blaylock (chair),...

Standoff ends when police cut off the ACTammy R. Deal, 51, was arrested after police cut off the air conditioning to the trailer home she was hiding in. Pope County Sheriff Investigator Eric Riggs testified during Wednesday's felony bond hearings that Deal threatened the victim with a gun after he declined to give her some of his medication. Riggs said Deal fired first into the floor and then again as the pair fought over the weapon inside the victim's home. The Pope County Sheriff'...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Section of old Gardner building deemed 'beyond repair'The Building and Grounds Committee approved the abatement and demolition of the middle school section of the old Gardner Junior High building at a cost of $432,300 prior to the June 21 Russellville Board of Education meeting. The building was discussed as "beyond repair." The demolition of the single-story structure is set to begin this month. During the school board meeting, a new speech-language pathologist position for the 2016-2017 school ...

July 4 celebrationTHE COURIER / Gerald Hook Close to 4,000 were in attendance Monday night for this year's annual Fourth of July fireworks show that has been put on by Russellville's Recreation and Parks Department since 1991. Parks Director Mack Hollis said the show lasted approximately 30-35 minutes and was a fantastic show. "Everything went real smooth and it was a fantastic display. Traffic was handled pretty smoothly by the Russellville Police Department i...

Valley Music Fest to feature bands, BBQRodney Williams is a promoter who grew up on Petit Jean Mountain and loves to get back to the Arkansas River Valley when he gets a chance. He's brought Balloons over RussVegas here the last three years. He's booked country legends like Mickey Gilley and Tanya Tucker at the Center for the Arts. Williams also remembered ValleyFest, the annual festival at Old Post Park from 1990-2011 that raised funds for the Boys and Girls Club of the Arkansas R...

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BY SEAN INGRAM
sean@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

'The Walking Veteran' visits RussellvilleThomas Wayne Hudson, also known as “The Walking Veteran,” began a journey across America on May 2 with a route leading from Las Vegas, Nev., to Washington D.C. Hudson, a cancer survivor currently in remission and patient of five surgeries, will testify during a congressional hearing regarding the VA system in Washington D.C. in October. According to Hudson, the VA can and has ruined the careers of a number of employees who he called whistle bl...